It is hard to believe that six months have elapsed since I last posted. At that point we had just moved into our new house, where we shot my two most recent books, Easy Aran Knits andLearn to Knit Arans – sequels to my earlier Easy Cable Knits and Learn to Knit Cables. My aim was to move knitters on from the easiest cables to those with a bit more interest and variety, but which are still relatively easy. Both books were published last week and I very much hope you enjoy them.

It has been an extraordinary summer weatherwise and it is perhaps fortunate that it has now cooled down a bit, from a knitter’s perspective at least! I have to say that living so close to the beach here in Ilfracombe, and loving swimming as I do, I have really got the best out of the sunny weather. We were away briefly for a friend’s wedding earlier in the summer in Opatija, Croatia. I had never visited Croatia before and it turned out to be a delightful break in a beautiful part of the world I would be keen to explore further.

Mark and I in Opatija, Croatia, for a friend’s wedding…

...and the happy couple.

Back home, the house has gradually taken shape over the past six months and Mark and I, and our cats, have adapted to our new surroundings. We still have lots to do and are in the throes of creating a proper garden for the first time too, which is really exciting.

As autumn approaches, I will be launching my first online patterns (using Rowan yarn) for sale with Loveknitting. The first collection will be favourites from my archive, but a new collection of four original patterns will follow on swiftly from that.